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Aarakocra
Aarakocra are a race of avian beings resembling bearded vultures. Origin and Distribution Aarakocra originated from the Himmel Mountains, evolving from the bearded vulture species and settling in the mountains' highest peaks, their ancestral drive to fly giving them an innate desire to be as close to the sky as is possible. Because of this, aarakocra are very rarely found in modern civilisations, finding them to be far too claustrophobic and busy for their tastes. Appearance Aarakocra resemble bipedal bearded vultures, having hollow bones, a short neck and beak, small, rounded head and primarily white feathers covering all but their wings, beard and tail, which are pitch black. The longer upper lip of their beak, hooked structure and notched tongue give aarakocra a strong enough grip that they are able to strip the flesh of their prey with ease. They stand digitigrade on slender, scaled legs and four-taloned feet. Three digits face forward, while one faces back for balance. A black band runs from their forehead to across their eyes and either side of their beak, absorbing the glare of the sunlight and easing the strain on their eyes. An aarakocra's wingspan can reach 12 feet in length, with the actual base of the wings located on an enlarged dorsal hump, allowing for greater freedom of movement and flexibility when in flight. A wedge-shaped tail acts as a rudder, providing more control and maneuverability both in the air and on the ground. Aarakocra have better lung capacity and breathing control than other races, mainly due to their enlarged lungs, which more easily circulates the flow of oxygen and blood and prevents hypothermia and suffocation when reaching the high altitudes that they do. Wide irises increase the distance at which aarakocra can perceive movement, while slightly sunken eye sockets and a forward position provide them with exceptional binocular vision. Aarakocra are able to see in a broader spectrum of colours than other races, and are even able to perceive ultraviolet light. A transparent eyelid moistens and cleans the eyes, keeping it free of dirt and preventing dry eye when in the air. Barbless feathers along the sides of their head protect their internal ears, both located behind and just below each eye. This allows them to hear at a quicker pace than other animals and folk without worrying about the risk of turbulence. Reproduction Aarakocra reproduce once a year, only on the day of an eclipse. Two eggs to a pair is common within to the species, with the second egg laid a week apart from the first out of fear that the first may be stillborn. Gestation lasts for about two weeks, while the actual process of incubating the eggs can take between six to seven weeks. Aarakocran eggs are about the size of an adult's head and have a stone-grey shade of colour, which allows them to camouflage more easily against their mountainous environment. Life Cycle Aarakocran young are known as chicks at birth, while they are known as fledgelings once they have developed their flight feathers. Chicks are born with a fluffy coat of primarily dark brown feathers, which will darken into black along the wings and tail, and brighten into white across the remainder of their body as they mature. Aarakocra are ready to fly after five weeks from hatching. Their wings are able to grow up to twelve feet in length, allowing to comfortably fly on the updrafts of the Himmel Mountains in search of food. Usually, aarakocra fly at low altitudes to use their powerful eyes to their advantage, but during spring and especially summer, aarakocra fly at higher altitudes to maintain their body temperature. At these times, aarakocra are known to molt most of their feathers to reduce heat. Diet Aarakocra are carrion eaters, with around 90% of their diet being composed entirely of the bones of corpses. Their strong stomach acids lets them easily break down the bone marrow, and aarakocra often make themselves vomit to further ease the process of consumption by corroding the decaying flesh. Language The native language of the aarakocra is Rede, which is based on German. Names Aarakocran first names are objectively descriptive, such as Kurze, which means "short one", or Erster, which means "first one". Surnames are occupational, such as Steinmetzin or Köchin, which mean "stonemason" and "cook", respectively. Gender Roles Aarakocra consider legal and social differences in the treatment of the two genders to be redundant and ridiculous. This stems from the fact that there is no noticeable physical differences between males and females of their species. Both genders hold the same legal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for employment, and are not held to standards specific to their gender. Courtship and Child-Rearing Monogamy is the legal and social standard in aarakocran society. Since aarakocra mate for life, they consider remarrying after the death of a partner or to engage in extramarital relations as dishonourable to the memory of the deceased and similar to cheating. Relationship Ideals Aarakocra employ biparental routines within their romantic and sexual relationships, with both parents participating equally in the preparation and life of their young. If one partner is unable to attend at their time, then the closest, same-sex relative to the missing party will take it on. Incubation is carried out in rotation, each parent taking over for their partner at a specified and exact time, while the same is done for the chick after it has hatched; feeding, clothing, bathing and mentoring are activities shared between the couple, and to purposefully avoid such responsibilities is to be seen as willful abandonment and disownment, and is punishable by forced isolation for an extended period of time, and the separation from both their partner and their young. The relationship between a parent and a child is a different matter altogether. Parents are considered the rightful owners to their child’s body, and therefore are the only ones able to care for their hatchlings and deliberately see them nude. The only exception to the latter is for their child’s chosen partner, and only during the time of the eclipse. Additionally, while preening is considered an intimate gesture of trust and comfort, it is only legally and socially acceptable to be carried out by the child’s parents and, once they are married, their partner. Average Technological Level Aarakocran society is purely practical in regards to their application of technology; they see little value in creating something without a symbolic meaning, something made purely for decorative purposes. They are exceptionally stonemasons, metalsmiths, carpenters and tailors, therefore, using these skills solely for the construction of buildings, houses, weaponry, armour and clothing. While primitive technology such as sundials are still commonly used, aarakocra are one of the few races to have used metal in the production of their tools and weaponry prior to the Merjandal Conquest, fitting steel into the creation of flint, hammers, punches, the tips of heads of spears, javelins and arrows, and the blades of their shortswords and daggers. The base of these inventions, however, is always wood, as metal is far too heavy and, therefore, cumbersome for the flight-minded species. Resin is used to make varnish, which slows down the rate at which the wood is weathered and eroded by the environment. Stone kilns are used to smelt the ore, while woodworking is carried out by hand and with the use of small, stone knives. The latter tool of choice is mainly out of simple convenience, as smelting is a tedious enough process that aarakocra see it as a waste of time to prepare more than their weaponry with metal. Tanning is used extensively in the production of clothing and armour, as the reduced weight of materials of leather through this process allows for further flexibility and decent protection than other, more hindering armour types. The bark of trees forms the basic foundation of the tannery process, as the bark can be powdered and allow for the substance known as tannin to be more easily extracted and used for the actual tanning of the hides. Since eclipses are exceptionally important to aarakocra, so too is the practice of astronomy. To aid in their attempt to understand and predict the movement of the sun, moon and stars, they have developed a stone-based volvelle, which they use as both a calendar and a clock. With the Merjandal Conquest bringing about a forceful Industrial Revolution throughout the Himmel Mountains, aarakocra quickly adapted to this change, and adopted the astrolabe as a method of figuring out position and placement of each plane of existence, as well as the date and time of a Planar Coalescence.